Chapter 47 – Political Scrutiny
The capital of Lespax was in view. It was early afternoon, so they made good time.
They spent a good deal of it discussing Hascain, Reina still not having a good grasp on what to expect there. An overview, yes, but it would be worth the effort to learn more.
According to Grim, as things stood, Duke Balta believed that Duke Alfred was more likely to assume control of the country once a tipping point was reached. Not only did Alfred's daughter marry Archmage Virimos, bringing him into the family, but Balta had no one of that level of magical power on his side. Archmage Ostaria was more preoccupied with running Hascain's Mage Academy, and was more likely to side with the royal family. Archmage Blackwood was unaffiliated, but past conflicts made between the two made it unlikely he'd side with Balta.
Alfred also had more nobles as vassals than Balta, and more supporters in court. This was due to his family being the first line of defense against any Keston invasion. Reina had asked if them falling to Keston before had any impact, but that wasn't the right way to think of it. The duke's house didn't expand to the north—to the ocean and frontline—until after the empire began to crumble. In fact, they led the charge in removing Keston influence and any garrisoned soldiers.
All this meant Duke Balta would need the support of heroes to gain control. Reina was sure that's what Grim was trying to push for, in addition to genuinely wanting to help—something about him told her as much, but she couldn't place what exactly. She didn't mind it, exactly. There were other things on her mind.
On the way, Reina also went over a few more weapon forms that became available after reaching level 50.
Black Dragon Fang Athame
(abilities locked) Equip Bonus: magic 6, Skill "Roar"
Black Dragon Talon Athame
(abilities locked) Equip Bonus: magic 6, spirit recoil reduction (small)
Black Dragon Horn Athame
(abilities locked) Equip Bonus: magic 10
Equip Effect: Spell Synthesis
Reina tested out her abilities on the way. The ones she could, at least.
Roar did what it said on the tin. They found a small group of dolls for Reina to try it on. There didn't seem to be any damage done, but it was loud, made the air vibrate, and terrified the dolls. Kuromo had to fly after them since they ran away so quickly.
The spirit recoil reduction probably did what Reina assumed. When a forged spirit was destroyed, she took a little damage and was staggered by it. This would probably reduce one or both of those.
Spell Synthesis was a bit interesting. After a little prodding, Reina found out it allowed her to combine a spell with a skill. Her first attempt was with Web and Fire Attribute. It was pretty simple, making a flaming web that wrapped around a target and burned it before burning away itself. Using Piercing Shot and Fire Attribute did something similar, burning a hole in whatever she hit.
She realized she didn't really have that big of a spell selection. Most of her options was giving a skill the 'flaming' quality, or so she liked to think.
What's more, they didn't have to be similar or apparently compatible. On a whim, she combined Wall of Stone with Blur. That effect made her basically invisible against the ground. Though, if she wasn't standing next to earth or stone, she'd be visible.
Once Reina got more spells, or more proficient with the Fire Attribute, she was sure she could do more.
As for the weapons themselves, they were strangely balanced. Attack and magic were the highest stats, with the others being passable. Most of her crosier forms had a better magic stat, though the Black Dragon Fang Athame had a higher attack than her Crimson Blade Ceremonial Sword. The defense and agility weren't as high. Plus, the short range of an athame meant she'd likely use it for her spirit rather than personal combat.
Incidentally, she hadn't mentioned it before, but there were quite a few weapon forms she didn't really go over that boosted her magic stat with equip bonuses. Same with her other stats, but magic was definitely the highest. She just stopped focusing as much on ones that didn't give some other bonus or effect.
As she thought about all this, she continued to watch the capital become closer and closer as the party walked on. It was…frustratingly slow. She wanted to get there already. She wanted to move on to the next thing they were going to do, whatever it was. She wanted to not think about the distance between her and Maria.
After hearing Maria call her by her name and not her—admittedly—favorite nickname, Reina just felt awkward around her. No, not awkward. Alone.
The minutes passed so slowly until they finally reached the gate to the capital. When they did, they were met by a pair of guards.
Reina remembered the last time she arrived in the capital of Lespax. They were hesitant to let Vyrdrun in until she revealed she was the Spirit Forger. It wasn't like she expected every guard to know her face, so she was prepared to do the same thing again. What she didn't expect, however, was for the two guards to stare at Kuromo.
If her head was on straight, Reina would have realized the potential issue before they arrived. Kuromo was in his human form, with dragon wings, claws, tail, and horns.
"Crap, I wasn't thinking." Reina lamented. "Do they know what Derdir looks like? Are they assuming he's one of them? I did tell those priests what his family looked like, but maybe that hasn't been spread around. Keston probably doesn't like Lespax any more than the other way around."
Clearing her throat, Reina went for what worked the first time. "I am Reina, the Spirit Forger. I would like to enter the city with my party."
One of the guards blinked before snapping to attention. "Lady Spirit Forger…" His wary tone wasn't encouraging. "What is he?"
At his pointing, Reina patted Kuromo on his head, around his horns. "A dragon. Show them, Kuromo."
She stepped aside and gave him room. In a puff of smoke, Kuromo transformed and towered over the guards.
"I thought it'd be better for him to be smaller when walking through town." Reina said. She probably didn't need to add that, the transformation surely being enough to dispel whatever they might have thought about him.
"Ah. Yes, I see." The guard nodded as Kuromo changed back. Reina had to pull another tunic out for him, since she didn't think to have him remove his currently shredded one. "I'd never seen someone with wings and a tail, let alone on a child."
"Oh." That was also a possibility. It wasn't like people with animal features were in this world. At least, not without doing that to themselves.
Still, Reina was surprised he didn't know about people who looked like Kuromo. Ignoring Keston, Savia was attacked by people who looked like him. Surely that information should have spread by now. Though, the only survivors were children…
"In any case," the guard went on, "you are expected at the castle. I'll have a guard escort you there."
Reina couldn't really object, since going to the castle was one of their destinations.
Another guard came and they went on their way. On the walk to the castle, Reina noticed people looking at them and whispering to one another. They didn't look fearful, so whatever it was about couldn't be that bad.
They arrived at the castle and were shown to the throne room. After a couple minutes of waiting, the doors were opened.
"The Spirit Forger has arrived!" As they were announced, Reina and her party walked into the throne room. It was as she remembered it. Knights lined up on either side, well-dressed men and women close to the throne. It was almost odd to see that now, knowing how Lespax viewed women. Then again, they were nobles in the king's court, and it wasn't like that sort of thing didn't happen in anime and manga she'd seen where men were probably the ones with more power.
Speaking of the king, however, Reina didn't see him. Instead, someone else was on the throne. It took a moment for Reina to remember him. He was the advisor that, well, chastised the king for acting…un-kingly.
"Welcome, Spirit Forger." The advisor greeted as they stopped before the throne. "I hope your travels have gone well."
"They have…" Reina nodded, unsure how to respond. "Excuse me, but where is the king?"
"King Tarik is currently out dealing with the current crisis." The advisor responded. "He has left me here to hold court and rule in his place."
"A crisis?" Reina asked. Hearing something like that wasn't good when something like the Waves were going on. Though, she had an idea what it was about.
"Yes, but we can get to that in a moment. I believe you are here in regards to your assistance in the recent Wave?" He asked.
"Ah, right, um…" Again, Reina wasn't sure how to respond. She didn't know what sort of title to use for him. Regent? Lord?
Fortunately, Grim tapped her on her shoulder and leaned in. He and Maria would know what to do here. "I believe that's the prince." He whispered.
"The prince—" Reina spoke louder than she meant to, quickly covering her mouth.
Where she expected sounds of annoyance from the assembled nobles, she instead heard a few chuckles. Even one of the knights near her let out a quiet laugh before returning to his stoic look.
The prince—not an advisor—sighed in his seat. "Yes, I suppose my father thinks he's rather funny. I am Prince Ambil Lespax."
The way the king acted before, Reina could believe him doing something like this. He didn't seem that serious of a person, for a king. The fact that he was out dealing with whatever was going on instead of sending others told Reina he was a man of action. That, or he wasn't particularly fond of ruling. His son being the one to keep him in line—if such a thing could be thought of for a king—added to that.
The prince cleared his throat. "In any case. While I don't wish to doubt your word, do you have proof that you fought to protect Lespax?"
Reina did, in fact, have something to that effect. "Yes, Your Majesty."
It was easy enough. Reina simply pulled out the skull of the skeleton dragon they fought. Most of the body was used to reveal her weapon form, leaving the skull and part of its spine and ribs.
The prince nodded. "I can see a foulness to it not apparent in normal dragons. Very well. As before, you are awarded 20 geld." He motioned with his hands, and one of the attendants went to leave the room. "While your reward is being gathered, there is a matter we must speak about."
"What is it?" Reina asked.
Prince Ambil leaned forward in his throne. "The royal orator received several messages from orators belonging to the 10 Churches of Keston."
Reina swallowed.
"Messages were sent not only to the royal orator, but to ones in the Adventurers Guild as well. Word has spread about your conduct in Keston." Prince Ambil went on.
That would explain the looks they were being given. Reina could only wonder what was said. She didn't have to wonder long, as Prince Ambil continued.
"Meeting with members of the Red Brotherhood, destroying an entire town, and murdering dozens of templars." The prince said. "Quite serious accusations."
"That's a lie!" Reina yelled.
The nobles in the court murmured amongst themselves. Prince Ambil simply raised his eyebrow. "Oh? Do tell."
Reina tried to calm herself down. She knew something like this would probably happen, but it still infuriated her that they would try attacking her for what they did.
"The templars killed the people of that town, and then they tried to kill us." Reina explained. "We escaped thanks to one of my skills. After that, we…did have to kill a few templars to stay hidden." She opted for the truth, not thinking she was a good enough liar to fool a room full of nobles. It wouldn't have been worth it.
The prince hummed in thought. "And the Red Brotherhood?"
Reina thought for a moment. "There are only two things I can think of. I met someone from the brotherhood when we were in Keston, though I didn't really speak with him. The other time was when we needed to sneak into the capital after the Wave. One of them smuggled Grim and me inside." She gestured to Grim. The prince continued to look down at her, prompting her to quickly continue. "I was told…we thought the blame for all of that would be pinned on us, so we had to prepare and escape." She stumbled over her words.
It was a little out of order, but not a total lie. Those templars exterminated that town and turned on her so easily. Whether or not Meru killed them afterward, Reina was likely to take the blame for the town, even if she didn't realize it at the time.
With his eyes closed, Prince Ambil held his hand to his chin. "Hm. Yes, that sounds much more believable." He opened his eyes and looked back down at Reina. "While these rumors may have spread throughout the city, I don't believe many people will hold them with much weight. Idle gossip from most, with only those who truly have faith in the churches taking the claims at face value."
Reina was glad he felt that way, relaxing where she stood. She also couldn't help but notice something of a mischievous twinkle in the prince's eye. "I guess the apple doesn't fall that far from the tree." She thought. It seemed the prince already didn't believe what Keston told him.
Reina was a little worried they might try to say she was working with a Demon Lord, since she told them about her meeting with Lola at that restaurant. That was…technically true, since Derdir wanted to make sure she lived through the Waves. And she did protect Lola from Sabien. Reina didn't think she'd be able to lie convincingly if she was asked.
"That said, my father did make a promise." He continued. "The 10 Churches want him to notify them when you arrive, and to have you detained."
Reina tensed. "Does that mean you're going to arrest us?" This far in the castle, with this many knights around them, Reina didn't know if they could escape.
"I will do nothing of the sort." The prince said. "To clarify, the king said he would contact them when you arrived, and he would detain you when he saw you next. Since the king is not present, a messenger will be sent to inform him. I see no need to expedite this by contacting the orator in his company. Granted, it will take some time to deliver the message, and for a reply to return." The prince smiled. "My father is a man of his word. As such, you will not be seeing him for some time."
Reina was able to relax again. While happy that one country's rulers seemed to be on her side, the two of them were going to give her a heart attack. King Tarik wasn't as bad in that regard, but it felt like his livelier personality was scaled back when his son was present.
"I believe Keston's next Wave is in approximately two weeks, correct?" He then asked.
"That's right." Reina confirmed.
"Then it will be at least that long until we have some sort of response from them. I imagine they will send people through Gathana's Adamantine Gate to…acquire you, if they fail to apprehend you at their next Wave."
"That…might not happen, actually." Reina said hesitantly. "At least, not through Gathana."
The state that city was left in didn't encourage any confidence they'd be able to operate the gate.
"Whatever do you mean?" The prince inclined his head. "Surely the people residing in that city would have no problem opening the gate to templars and imperials with a set view on those living there."
"Ah." Reina was silent after that. His words told her that not only was he aware the city was wiped out, but that the Gromnar had apparently taken the place for themselves.
"We can discuss that in a moment." The prince added, continuing to smile. "But first, let me inform you of our current situation."
~Forging Legends~
The problem in Lespax was as follows. Rampant violet rain was occurring through the countryside, originating from the south-west. That was the direction the king took his company of knights in. Reina and her party came from the south, so they didn't cross paths.
Additionally, ghosts began to appear where the rain hit. The rare occurrence when someone was killed by the rain. They had similar weaknesses to the wraiths they fought in the Wave. However, unlike normal ghosts—and the ones from her games—these ghosts could wander around. They weren't bound to their place of death.
There was no apparent reason for any of this happening, until Reina explained what happened to them two days ago. That information did prompt Prince Ambil to have an orator contact the king, saying the information was from a "reliable source".
To aid in preventing more death, the prince asked Reina to investigate in the west for any more people like this. Rain had appeared in several places in the country within a short timeframe. A quick look to her party said they were onboard with this. She had a means to protect them now.
The party left the castle to make preparations. It was already early evening, so they'd leave the next day.
"Why didn't anyone say ghosts came from violet rain?" Reina asked, more to Vyrdrun.
"You were rather distraught about Maria. I didn't want to add to your concerns. It is also rare that it happens." Vyrdrun responded.
Truthfully, she wished he showed a little more tact about Maria, but there was no hiding how she felt.
Maria shrugged. "It didn't seem important, Reina."
Reina could argue otherwise, but it wasn't like Maria was wrong. Anyone caught in the rain would die normally. Adding the possibility of becoming a ghost didn't change much, even if it felt like it should.
She also didn't want to argue because she heard her name again. Maria was doing that on purpose, Reina knew, but she didn't want to respond to it. She couldn't let the hurt of not having her nickname said show.
They'd also talked about Gathana at the end of the meeting. The tribe of Gromnar Reina's party met there did move into the city. In fact, a few other tribes joined in. Reina didn't know if they'd be able to keep the city for themselves, even with the ability to call some violet rain to their defense and the country not having as large a population as others, especially after losing the people of that city to a plague.
At least, not without trading with Lespax.
That explained why the blacksmiths in the city were creating large weapons and sets of armor when they walked into that district. It wasn't that Gromnar didn't have them, but they were clearly inferior. Hide armor with spears and clubs and the occasional mace as weapons. Here, they were making chain and plate and banded armor, with longswords and greatswords and polearms to match.
The prince didn't say what they were getting in return, but Reina imagined having powerful allies in a somewhat hostile country could be reason enough. Also, apparently, shamans and druids could hold ghosts at bay, if not banish them outright, so that was another bonus if things got worse here.
"Let's see here…" Reina muttered as they walked.
Out of all the shops available, there was one in particular she wanted to find. While there wasn't much for Vyrdrun before, she suspected there would be now. Even if there wasn't, they could order something and return for it before the Wave.
They found the shop they were looking for. Reina stopped, looking at who was manning the anvil.
"Baric?" She asked, looking at the man.
"Ah, lass." He nodded, looking up from his work and setting his hammer down.
She continued to stare at him as he walked around his anvil to stand before them.
"Why…Why are you here? How are you here?" Reina asked.
She wasn't expecting him to be here. He had an apprentice here last time, so she thought they could get weapons and armor upgrades from him. But Baric was here, again. He just showed up like he did in Keston, a place about a month away.
Baric gave a hearty laugh. "You'd think after seeing me four—well, technically five—times now, you'd get used to this."
That wasn't an answer. She could accept him having a fast mount and using an Adamantine Gate to travel quickly…once. The closest gate, aside from Gathana, was one east of Gathana. That one was over a mountain and necessitated a flying mount. The closest one after that was in Savia. But still, that should take at least a week. There was no way he could spend all his time traveling like that.
But he was back here again. She wasn't complaining that he was here, but it was still completely strange he would travel that far so often…
"Wait a second." She thought about what he just said. "Five times? If that's the number of times I saw him…here, twice in Keston, and here again. That's only four. Where did I…"
"You…" Reina whispered. She couldn't believe it.
Baric grinned. "Figure it out, did ya?"
"You were in Savia. I bought my armor from you." Reina had completely forgotten about him. At the time, she'd thought this world was too much like a game. Add to the fact that she had just been summoned that day and was overwhelmed by everything, it was no wonder she didn't recognize him before.
"You survived Savia?" Grim spoke up. "I know you're a legendary blacksmith, but I didn't think you were a fighter as well."
"Didn't say I was, though I can handle myself in a fight just fine." Baric declared. "I got me an archmage friend. Gave me a way to get around places quickly."
"Ah, that would explain it." Grim nodded.
"So, you here to upgrade your equipment?" Baric asked, moving the conversation right along. "I don't think that cleaver of mine needs any work, but I can improve your breastplate some."
"That would be good." Grim started working the straps of his armor. "If you can be done by tomorrow."
"Shouldn't be an issue. Already got a few things prepared for the Gromnar chiefs in Gathana." Baric said.
"I don't suppose you could sell one of those to us for Vyrdrun, could you?" Maria asked.
"For a hero's party? Of course I can!" Baric barked out another laugh. "Weapons I got, but the armor is too big for this one."
"We can come back for it." Maria said. "What about you, Reina?"
Hearing her name snapped her out of her thoughts, but Baric spoke first. "With what she has already, I wouldn't recommend getting a new set of armor. I've already got something in the works for her."
"You…do?" Reina asked. She couldn't understand why he'd have something for her.
Baric grinned. "That archmage friend of mine? He commissioned a set of armor to be made for you whenever you were summoned. It was pretty lucky I was in Savia at the time. Able to get started pretty quickly. Something like that will take months for the best ores."
Reina didn't like that. She knew Baric's weapons and armor were really expensive. At least, the ones he cared about. Making armor for a hero? She couldn't imagine the price of his high-quality stuff, if her Mirror Bend Armor was 19 geld. Who could afford that?
"Your friend? Who is he?" She decided to find out.
"Ah, well…" Baric scratched the back of his head. "He told me not to give you his name, but I can tell you he's a noble in Hascain."
Reina paused to consider that. She didn't know of many archmages, but there were three in Hascain. Virimos, Blackwood, and Ostaria. Knowing what she did, she was able to narrow the list down even further.
Blackwood was a commoner first, killing two weak Demon Lords to become a noble. He owned a small amount of land, a village or two. He likely couldn't fund something like this easily, and didn't seem to have much reason to.
Ostaria was the head of Hascain's Mage Academy. Someone like that could likely afford to pay for premium armor from a legendary blacksmith. And he was friendly with the royal family, so there was some political motivation. But he was also a pervert, so Reina really hoped he wasn't the one. Though, Baric didn't strike her as someone to be friends with a pervert, despite the second set of armor she got from him. And a lot of armor interfered with casting spells, so there was even less reason the head of the Mage Academy to know him.
Then, there was Virimos. He was already a noble, married the daughter of a duke, and commanded an army. And two dukes in Hascain had their eyes on the throne. She'd thought before about both Duke Alfred and Duke Balta trying to gain her support for some sort of legitimacy. It was seeming like Duke Alfred was through Archmage Virimos. There was much more motivation there than with Ostaria, who was only friendly with the royal family.
And if that was the case, it would be hard to say no.
"Sorry, Grim." She thought. "I'm not here for political games. But I think Duke Balta lost."
She had nothing against the princess of Hascain, but this was about fighting the Waves. If what it cost was changing the status quo of one country, then that's how it was. And, hey, if she could get an archmage on her side, she'd have less to fear from Derdir.
~Forging Legends~
It was luck. Pure luck. Spotting them in the city right after she had a meal had to be luck. Not that she was complaining. She'd had more luck in the past few years than she ever thought possible.
The description of the party was accurate, for the most part. A young-looking woman with long, braided black hair. A middle-aged man with a cleaver. A captivating woman wizard. A young Gromnar shaman. The young boy with horns and claws and wings…and a tail, was odd, but the rest was perfect.
She couldn't follow them into the castle, and they took a long time in there, but she followed them again when they came back out. She couldn't get close enough to hear them, even when they stopped at the blacksmith's. Stealth wasn't her strongest skill.
Still, she had her mission, and she would complete it.
Author's Notes:
This took a little longer to write than I thought it would. Oh well. I'll get my backlog of chapters back eventually.